Prevention101

Once Fallen
"Through Knowledge and Wisdom Shall We Rise From The Ashes"

<-- Back To Index

An Ounce of Prevention: Finding a Feasible Solution to the Sex Crime Issue
("Prevention 101")
Derek “The Fallen One” Logue
April 15, 2008

There has been a lot of debate regarding sex offenders, but little has actually been done to address
the root causes behind sex crimes. The major problem with the current approach to the sex offender laws
is they have virtually no impact on sex crimes. Consider the following stats:

The US Dept. of Justice found 23.2% of all sex crimes against juveniles, and 40% of sex crimes
against children age 12 and under was committed by juveniles (“Sexual Assault of Young Children
as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics,” 2000)
The US Bureau of Prisons found only 14% of sex offenders in prison were recidivists, meaning 86%
were first-time offenders (“Sex inmates in Prison,” 1997, noted in the below DoJ study). This, of
course, excludes those on probation or parole, as more “first timers” receive lighter sentences than
repeat offenders.
The US Dept. of Justice, in the oft quoted 1994 recidivism study, found that in the same three-year
period, 517 sex offenders re-offended, while 3,228 non-sex offenders committed sex crimes
(“Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released into the Community in 1994.”)
A 2007 AP report noted the number of adult sex crimes decreased 56% between 1993 and 2004,
while the number of sex crimes committed by juveniles increased 40% in the same period (John
“Jack” Tefler, “Obsession with sex, violence impacting our kids.” Midland Daily News, July 1, 2007).
In the year before Iowa’s enforcement of a 2000 foot residency restriction law in September 2005,
433 sex crimes were reported. In the year after the law took effect, 445 sex crimes against children
were reported, suggesting the law had absolutely no impact on sex crime rates. It is interesting to
note that only one stranger offense against a child was reported in the year after the law took
effect (Todd Dorman, “Analyst: Data doesn’t support sex offender rule.” Quad City Times, Feb. 5,
2007).

     The entire point of this exercise was to point out how focusing on sex offenders is merely a small
portion of the sex crime issue. It should be obvious, therefore, that a little more emphasis should be
placed on preventive measures.

The Case for Prevention

     Certainly the old adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure holds truer in the
field of sex crime prevention. Nancy Sabin of the Jacob Wetterling Foundation notes that instead of
“turning off the water at the faucet,” we are pumping billions of dollars into legislation designed to target a
very small number of offenders (Lori Robertson, “States Aim to Stop Sex Offenders.” The Children’s Beat,
Fall/Winter 2006). Patty Wetterling states we are focusing only on about 3% of the problem; in addition to
sex offender law reform, she calls for funding prevention programs for at-risk youth and protect abused
children. Sadly, this has also been the most neglected aspect of preventing sexual violence (Dan
Gunderson, “A Better Approach to Sex Offender Policy.” Minnesota Public Radio, June 18, 2007).

Principles of Prevention

     Prevention means finding a way to keep sexual violence from occurring in the first case. I believe it IS
possible to find prevention strategies that work. But we have to approach this problem with an open mind.
There are two great websites with prevention as its focus (as you can see from these sites, its about
being “smart” rather than “tough”):

www.stopitnow.org
www.jwf.org (NOTE: recently the Jacob Wetterling Foundation has become the Jacob Wetterling
Resource Center, www.jwrc.org, and some of the below pages referenced are NOT AVAILABLE at
this time)

One of the things I have been advocating is the concept of “sexual responsibility.” Perhaps I should use
the expression “sexual accountability” instead for clarification. Sexual responsibility encompasses a few
major points:

Responsibility: We are responsible for our own sexual activity, no one else; not the media, not the
government, not religion. Us. Likewise, we cannot control our environment, society, or the law. We
control ourselves. Prevention begins and ends with us. Responsibility is personal.
Accountability: We are responsible not just to our own benefit, but for the benefit of others.
Accountability works both ways; you are responsible to others as well as calling people out when
you see them doing wrong. The Social aspect of responsibility
Penance: When we do wrong, we make reparations, simple as that. Of course, it is better if we
never have to do penance in the first place, so we learn to avoid things which are wrong in the first
place.
Honesty: We have to stop lying to people about the nature of sex crimes. That means laying aside
preconceived myths and notions society has held for years. That means dropping the “sex
offenders are monsters/them” and admit sex offenders can be “regular people/ us.” That means
leaving our comfort zones.
Education: Learning how to deal with sexual issues in the proper manner. How can he hope to
prevent sexual abuse without knowing what to look for, whether in ourselves or in others.
Vigilance: Being vigilant simply means keeping up with those helpful hints to aid prevention. If you
have an aversion to a particular sexual activity, then you must learn to avert or avoid reminders it.
Moderation: We have to remember to keep things in perspective. There is no cookie cutter
solution, as people have unique problems. We must find what works for us. By the same token, we
follow prevention measures without being extreme: we are vigilant, but not paranoid, accountable
and responsible without being “holier than thou” and overbearing, educated without being over-
analytical, and honest without overstepping the boundaries of others.

I think the following statements help illustrate my point:

From the About Stop It Now! Page (http://www.stopitnow.org/about.html)

A Call to Action

Challenge adults – as individuals, in families, in our communities and as a society - to learn about the
risks that lead to sexual abuse of children [Education]; to confront the barriers and misunderstandings
that keep people from acting to prevent sexual abuse; and then to support thoughtful policies and
interventions to overcome those risks and barriers [Vigilance].
Inspire courage in all adults to look beyond easy stereotypes about sexual abuse [Honesty] and to face
the real people and situations that put children at risk for child sexual abuse – relatives, friends, and
respected leaders in our families and social circles, who have lost control of their impulses [Responsibility,
Accountability]
Encourage policy makers to use the best available research to invest in a full range of prevention
strategies including, effective treatment, reduction of risk factors, parenting education and programs that
educate adults about steps they can take before a child is harmed [Education, Moderation]

From the Jacob Wetterling Foundation “Prevention Education” page (http://www.jwf.org/ReadArticle.asp?
articleId=50)

(Note: The above link is temporarily Invalid, as the Jacob Wetterling Foundation has changed to the
Jacob Wetterling Resource Center. The Below article was extrapolated from the JWF site, and I changed
the initials accordingly)

“JWRC maintains hope that through quality programming and services provided to communities, adults
can help protect children from victimization by giving them positive identities and values, appropriate
boundaries and expectations, and the support they need to flourish {Responsibility, Accountability].
Research has shown a number of risk factors that are associated with sexually harmful behaviors and
attitudes. Likewise there are a number of protective factors which contribute to the development of
healthy sexuality. JWRC's intention is to address these risks and protective factors with adults so they
may become more effective at educating, guiding and supervising children and youth. Adults are given
accurate information and interactive tools in order to reduce the incidence of child sexual exploitation and
abduction in rural and metropolitan Minnesota, providing a shift in social norms and practices that
perpetuate child sexual exploitation and abduction [Education]. These tools have also been developed for
children of all ages, so that they may partner with adults in protecting their own safety as well as the
safety of their peers [Vigilance]. Through its prevention education effort, JWRC intends to shift the
direction of prevention and intervention efforts from current fear-based, reactive methods toward
accurate, proactive dialogue resulting in positive action [Honesty, Moderation].”

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is for those who have committed a crime but seeks change. Restorative Justice is
defined as “a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused or revealed by criminal
behaviour” (Prison Fellowship Int'l. “Restorative Justice: Introduction.” http://www.restorativejustice.
org/intro, Nov. 11, 2007). Restorative Justice has been around for many years (like the "Anonymous" 12
step groups), so many of the concepts should be familar:

Three principles form the foundation for restorative justice:

Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured.
Those most directly involved and affected by crime should have the opportunity to participate fully
in the response if they wish.
Government's role is to preserve a just public order, and the community's is to build and maintain a
just peace.

Restorative programmes are characterized by four key values:

Encounter: Create opportunities for victims, offenders and community members who want to do so
to meet to discuss the crime and its aftermath
Amends: Expect offenders to take steps to repair the harm they have caused
Reintegration: Seek to restore victims and offenders to whole, contributing members of society
Inclusion: Provide opportunities for parties with a stake in a specific crime to participate in its
resolution

Sexual Assault Cycle

Among former offenders, understanding and identifying triggers and ways to avoid them are staples
of a recidivism-free life. The “sexual assault cycle” is a pattern of behaviors a person follows when in the
throes of sexual addiction. Below is a description of the assault cycle

(Steven E. Mussack, Ph.D. and Alison Stickrod. “Teaching the Sex Offender to Clarify the Assault Cycle.”
http://www.choicesoforegon.com/cycle.htm)

Goals of Assault Behavior

The sexual offense and the maladaptive acting-out behaviors exist to meet normal human needs for self-
esteem and personal power. While the human needs are shared by us all, the offender's method to get
those needs met is harmful, exclusive of recognizing the rights and needs of others. The sexual offense
and the preceding and post-assault behaviors appear to be efforts to achieve some personal equilibrium
within the offender's view of the world.

A Primary Treatment Goal

A primary goal of sexual offender treatment is to aid the offender in accepting full accountability for
his/her offense. Teaching an offender how to identify, recognize and then interrupt his/her own assault
cycle, serves this goal.

Relapse Prevention

Relapse Prevention, in simple terms, is strategies to learn to cope with situations, people, or events which
could tempt a former offender to re-offend. Below is a more detailed explanation of relapse prevention.

Relapse Prevention Therapy

RPT intervention strategies can be grouped into three categories: coping skills training, cognitive
therapy, and lifestyle modification. Coping skills training strategies include both behavioral and cognitive
techniques. Cognitive therapy procedures are designed to provide clients with ways to re-frame the habit
change process as learning experience with errors and setbacks expected as mastery develops. Finally,
lifestyle modification strategies such as meditation, exercise, and spiritual practices are designed to
strengthen a client's overall coping capacity.

In clinical practice, coping skills training forms the cornerstone of RPT, teaching clients strategies to:

understand relapse as a process,
identify and cope effectively with high-risk situations,
cope with urges and craving,
implement damage control procedures during a lapse to minimize its negative consequences,
stay engaged in treatment even after a relapse, and
learn how to create a more balanced lifestyle.

(George A. Parks, Ph.D. and G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D. “Relapse Prevention Therapy: A Cognitive-Behavioral
Approach.” National Psychologist, Sept/ Oct. 2000)

Treatment Works!

     “The study revealed, among the most recent research samples, sexual recidivism rates of 17.3
percent for untreated offenders, compared with 9.9 percent for treated offenders. Though that's not a
large reduction, the large sample size and widely agreed-upon research methods make it statistically
reliable and of practical significance, [Karl] Hanson says” (Karen Kersting, “New Hope for Sex Offender
Treatment.” Monitor on Psychology, Vol. 34, No. 7, July/ Aug. 2003)

     “Paroled Sex offenders completing basic sex offender programming (level 1) while incarcerated
appeared to have a somewhat lower recidivism rate than those who did not have programming. This was
true both for recidivism of any type (33.9% with programming recidivated compared with 55.3% without
programming) and sex-related recidivism (7.1% with programming recidivated compared with 16.5%
without programming).” (Ohio Department of Corrections. “Ten Year Recidivism Follow-up of 1989 Sex
Offender Releases.” 2001)

Barriers to the Prevention Approach

     Prevention strategies, and treatment strategies for former offenders, seems to be a common sense
answer, yet there is a lot of resistance to prevention in the US. Below are a few of the reasons behind the
resistance to prevention:

Mass Media: We are heavily influenced by the media, and not even politicians are immune. A
recent study found politicians rely on media accounts or their constituents to shape public policy;
constituents are solely influenced by the media (Lisa Sample and Colleen Kadleck, “Legislators’
Accounts and the Need for Public Policy.” Criminal Justice Policy Review, March 2008). Mass Media
fuels the panic with sensationalized stories of high-profile, though extremely rare, cases, thus
leading society to believe these events to be the norm (Benjamin Radford, “Predator Panic, A
Closer Look.” Skeptical Inquirer, Sept. 2006).
Legislators/ Politicians: As stated in the Sample and Kadleck (2008) report, politicians are under
intense public pressure to respond to public outrage. The irony is, legislators won’t even read the
reports of their self-appointed commissions; they don’t want the facts to interfere with their
decisions (Gunderson, ibid.)
Focus on Retribution/ Punishment: A comment by Mark Lunsford epitomizes our current focus on
retribution—“I can't get my hands on the guy that murdered my daughter so I've made it my job to
make the rest of these sexual offenders and predators' lives miserable, as miserable as I can"
(Amanda Rogers, “The Lunsford Paradox Continues,” www.operationawareness.com, May 29,
2007). Though sex offender legislation is called “regulatory” to circumvent the US Constitution,
people recognize it as punishment.
Myths: A 2007 study found that gossip and rumors are often accepted as truth, even when people
know the truth (Jeanna Bryner, “Study: Gossip Trumps Truth.” Live Science, Oct. 15, 2007). As
noted in the earlier Minnesota Public Radio (Gunderson) report, politicians will say, “Don’t confuse
me with the facts, my mind is made up.” There are many myths regarding sex crimes in society; sex
offenders cannot be cured, are all pedophiles, have a high recidivism rate, and the most damning
of all, the fear of “stranger-danger” (Derek Logue, “Sex Offender Myths: The Foundation for Sex
Offender Laws.” www.oncefallen.com/SOMyths.html, 2007).
CAPTA Reporting Requirements: Ironically, the very legislation meant to protect children from child
abuse could be a barrier to seeking help, but you have to understand CAPTA provides for
mandatory reporting of suspected abuse. “Child welfare agencies over the last 20 years have re-
shaped their original charter of child protection to one of punitive response... There remains a
significant problem with the redistribution of responsibility from the parent to the government. It
requires only an anonymous phone call to start an investigation, in which the first response is to
remove the child. (Damon Coffman, “Twenty Years of CAPTA.” www.oregonfamilyrights.
com/documents/capta.html, 2008). Let us pretend for a moment a man comes to realize he is
sexually attracted to underage girls, but does not wish to give into his desires, because he knows
its wrong, it causes harm, etc. If he goes to a psychologist and says he's attracted to underage
children, what do you think would happen? Child Welfare comes in, breaks up the family, man (and
his spouse, kids, etc.) gets dragged through a series of tests from individuals hell bent on proving
man molested his kids. Who would seek help knowing this scenario is very likely? Of course, that's
even assuming one could even find a therapist qualified in sex offender treatment (go to www.find-
a-therapist.com and see for yourself)
Fear/ Fascination of sex: We are simultaneously appalled by deviant sexual behavior and
fascinated by it. Perhaps that is why the controversial Dateline series “To Catch a Predator”
averaged 7 million voyeurs, er, “viewers,” in the 2006-2007 season (“2008 State of the News
Media: An Annual Report on American Journalism.” www.stateofthenewsmedia.
org/2008/printable_networktv_newsmagazines.htm)

Summary

     Prevention strategies exist today, but for some reason, we choose to neglect them in favor of
punishment strategies for former offenders, strategies which fail to address preventing strategies. The
Jabob Wetterling Resource Center and Stop It Now! are two fine examples of prevention and treatment
oriented approaches which will prove effective in reducing sex crimes. These strategies teach principles
of responsibility, accountability, penance, honesty, education, vigilance, and most of all, balance or
moderation.
     Regarding former offenders, there are prevention strategies available to keep former offenders from
offending again. Restorative justice (accountability and empathy training), identifying sexual assault
cycles, and developing relapse prevention plans are tried and true methods of reducing recidivism
amongst former offenders. These treatments have been shown to reduce both general and specific
recidivism by at least half, and recognized to be effective by leading researchers like Karl Hanson.
     However, in order to effectively implement these prevention strategies, we must eliminate the many
obstacles in our society: The mass media, politicians, myths and misconceptions, our emphasis on
retribution and punishment, CAPTA mandatory reporting requirements, lack of professionals, and our
contrary fear/ fascination of sex. Only by approaching the subject openly and honestly can we have any
hope of preventing sexual violence.